Ok, yeah I got them confused too... Sooo we're back to being ripped off, haha.

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"And how did I get back on First Base?"

"You mentioned his name."

"Who's name?"

"Yes..."

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The Cloud Car wasn't offered in Vintage Packaging. The snowspeeder was offered in a Target exclusive box (as well as a regular mass release box). It would've made sense to offer the twin pod cloud car in vintage packaging, too, but I think Hasbro was reluctant to even remake that vehicle, as they said for years they wouldn't do it.

The current silly thing is offering the pod racer vehicles from Episode 1, that originally came with figures, without figures. The only Sebulba figure at current retail is in a battle pack, add $20 to $25 to get the pilot for a $30 vehicle (or go to ebay and get the originals for a lot less).

I think the reason for the seemingly high price on the Cloud Car is that it was included in a wave of vehicles at that price point because there was nowhere else that it would fit. Sean_C is correct that it was only released in the Shadows of the Dark Side packaging.

The podracer vehicle prices do seem really expensive, especially considering the lack of pilot figures. I'm glad I got mine online a year or two ago for $15 each.

The Cloud Car was one of those vehicles that I'd have been ok at the $20 mark. I still would have felt disappointed due to the size, but not as much as I was paying $27 for. Plus the Cloud Car pilots were in the Vintage line, so $9.99 2 times to get the guys that go with it. That just burned me and helped make me back off a little on Star Wars. I'm mostly just filling in the figures I'm wanting.

The pod racers... they'll really have to redo those before I'll get them again. I'd like to see each pod by it's self with the clear plastic "energy beam" connecting them. The pod would have to have the couplings with nothing else. I'd be ok with a clear stand the had a single rod to mount the vehicle on, but I'd prefer nothing. Basically "movie accurate" so to speak. I'd be fine paying the high price for that, but probably just the main 2 and I wouldn't go nuts if they were to make some of the others.

I think a combination will happen with these new GIJoe figures and vehicles. I think I'll be starting to wind down with some of my buying with these. The price point and just not liking some of the decisions, I'll be pulling back. There is some neat stuff but it's just starting to drift in a direction that if they get too much further into, I'll be glad to call it done. Those vehicles with permanent figures mounted and oversized didn't do well the last movie, and seem to never do well with any line. Even though that's the case, toy companies seem to want to go that direction.

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*In with the good, out with the bad. Breath.*

Now I'm even more upset I paid that much. You're right it wasn't OTC packaging because it came with the diorama backdrop packaging.

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back to the vehicle figures, I will say that i've been having a lot of fun bashing statues onto articulated figures anyway, so I don't mind the fodder from the chunk of plastic they throw in the box. Especially those that have unique headsculpts, as I usually overpay to nab those from various sources anyway. But since these look, in some cases anyway, to be entirely new sculpts of the entire figure, I find it hard to believe they couldn't shave a buck by not even making them to begin with.

I'm not an advocate of that. Just using simple logic. Especially when the cost of plastic is so often cited as driving market prices.

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They would rather include the low articulated driver than no driver because parents feel like they are getting a deal. Why by another separate figure to go in the vehicle when one already comes with it.

I disagree. No Star Wars vehicle has come with any figure in years. And do those Marvel Whatever vehicles come with any figures? I honestly don't know in that case, though if they do, it's just another stupid Cap or Iron Man, so to a parent it's hardly an extra value.

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good point on those driverless starwars vehicles. boy the prices on them seem to just keep going up too.

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Yeah the Cap, Iron Man, and now Avengers vehicles have included drivers. Only problem is they are 5 point articulation and generally the same figures that have been single carded. The point about parents not feeling they are getting a value is accurate. I know I have seen plenty of times where parents say "you already have that figure". So with a figure they already have in a vehicle, it might even work against the selling point.

I figure the whole 5 point articulated brick included with vehicles is just some sort of marketing research idea. I get the impression there is some sort of magazine, pamphlet, or what have you that toy companies get that says "what's hot and what works to sell a product". I know in my industry with t-shirts, I get all sorts of magazines, newspapers, and flyers trying to tell me what's hot in today's market and wanting to push ideas. I tend to ignore most of it myself since in the long run it leads to having to buy new equipment. But still, the way these companies seem to change their "strategies" with the wind, I wouldn't doubt it being something like that.

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Except we know why they chose to go in this direction since we've been told it and it makes sense. As for driver-less Star Wars vehicles, Star Wars is a juggernaut of a line that CAN be supported by mostly collectors because those collectors are abundant. GIJoe collectors, not so much. If GIJoe collectors amounted to the same as Star Wars and if GIJoe was as huge a property as Star Wars, then we wouldn't need so many of these cutbacks as it is.